The Bromborough Dock

Ju88 Incident
8th October 1940
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The details of this incident have been compiled from the published works of David J.
Smith, Nick Wotherspoon, Derrick Pratt & Mike Grant and information available on
the internet.

Photographs are from the collections of David J. Smith, Zdenek Hurt and Bill Housley.

Text: Colin Schroeder

Editing and typesetting: Mark Anthony Craig
Modelmaker: Phil Allen
 A typical Junkers Ju88 in flight

TARGET IDENTIFIED
On Tuesday 8th October 1940, a Junkers Ju88 took of from its base in France.
Loaded with four 250kg bombs, its mission was to attack industrial targets of
opportunity connected with military production in the Merseyside area, and
photograph the results. The route took it from Caen to Southampton, then via
Droitwich, and finally to Merseyside where it arrived in the target area around
4:00pm in the afternoon. The weather forecast that the German pilot was
using had indicated that he would have cloud cover during the flight, which
did help him evade fighters in southern England.

Les Jones was on look out duty on the top of George Henry Lee department
store in the centre of Liverpool. He spotted the lone Ju88 flying up the River
Mersey at about 1,200 feet.

Squadron Leader H.W. (Tubby) Mermagen was the Station Commander at

Speke, and was in the operations room where the incoming raid was being
plotted. At Speke, No.312 (Czech) squadron kept a section of three aircraft at
readiness, with another section of three aircraft at 30 minutes readiness.
Mermagen gave the order for three Hurricanes of Yellow Section to be
scrambled and patrol Hoylake. The section consisted of Yellow 1 - Flight
Lieutenant D.E. Gillam, Yellow 2 - Pilot Officer A. Vasatko, and Yellow 3-
Sergeant J. Stehlik. They took off at 4:10pm.

No.289 AA Battery of the 93rd Regiment of the Royal Artillery located at the
Ince gun site had been alerted to the approach of an enemy aircraft, and the
guns were manned and loaded ready for action. The Ju88 approached from
the direction of Helsby and flew over the gun site, heading northwest. The
“Yellow 1” and “Yellow 2” of No.312 (Czech) Squadron

four guns were brought to bear on the Ju88. Because of the possibility of
friendly fighters being around, the Gun Control Officer (GCO), Captain
J.Blundell, hesitated to give the order to engage the Ju88. But No.1 gun, no
doubt excited by having an enemy aircraft in their sights, had opened up with
their 4.5 gun. As the Hurricanes roared into sight, the GCO ordered cease-fire.

Yellow section were climbing after take off, still with their wheels down, when
Sergeant Stehlik saw bursts of fire from AA guns. It was this which drew his
attention to the approaching Ju88. On sighting the Hurricanes, the Ju88
started to climb sharply, trying to gain cloud cover.
Pilot Officer Vasatko's Combat Report held in the Public Record Office
describes the action:

“I was Yellow 2 and started close behind Yellow leader, staying about 20
yards behind. On turning over the river, Yellow leader started to climb
sharply and, looking round, I sighted the E/A (Enemy Aircraft).

“I gave full gas, turned to port, and flew about 60 feet below the E/A from
quarter but could not fire on account of the presence of Yellow 3. I turned
and climbed, and then attacked the E/A from rear and above (about 2
seconds at 100 yards). Immediately afterwards, I saw Yellow 1 attack him
from below. I broke away slightly to right and saw the E/A smoking from
his starboard engine and gliding downward.

“I followed at 1200-1500 feet distance and approached, but could not fire at
once as Yellow 3 was attacking. I then fired a short burst and experienced
return fire from the upper gunner. E/A then flew level at a height of 200 feet
 and I attacked from the stem and gave a third short burst. I saw the E/A fall
flat on the ground and slew round to port. It lay on a meadow at the edge of
the waterborne Balloon Barrage.'

During the firefight, which lasted just over 5 minutes, the Ju88’s starboard
engine was damaged in a hail of bullets which also killed the observer/second
pilot Leutnant H. Schlegel with a bullet through the head. The Ju88 pilot,
Oberleutnant H. Bruckmann, jettisoned two of its four bombs into the River
Mersey in an attempt to escape. Heavy and accurate fire was returned from
the Ju88, which hit all three Hurricanes.

Painting “Fastest Victory” by Robert Taylor

The damage the Ju88 sustained was so bad that the pilot was unable to keep
it in the air. The stricken aircraft was spotted by witnesses on the ground as it
glided past Bromborough Church, heading towards Bromborough Dock with
smoke billowing from its damaged engines.
Ordnance Survey map from the early
1950s, showing the area much as it
would have been in 1940.
The crash site is shown at ‘x’

Area of aerial
photo opposite
 Modern day aerial photo with site of Magazine Village
superimposed, and flightpath of the doomed Ju88

CRASH-LANDING AND CAPTURE

The aircraft crashed landed on reclaimed land at Bromborough Dock with the
undercarriage retracted and two bombs still in their racks. It slid on its belly
across the field and stopped, slewing round to port. The time was 4:15 pm.
The port engine had been ripped out of its mountings, and one of the
remaining bombs torn from its rack lay near the aircraft.

Harry Gill, a gateman at Bromborough dock who was about 200 yards from
the crashed Ju88 ran towards the aircraft. As he ran, he saw two men
scramble out of the cockpit and go behind the aircraft. He found them bent
over a third man lying on the ground some way behind the aircraft.
The Ju88 as seen from the river. Note the inflated dinghy to the right.

Gill demanded their guns, which they surrendered without argument. At that
point, two Unilever employees, Mr. W.A. Rand from the Electrical Department
and Mr. Rob Thompson, Assistant Manager of the Fuel & Steam Department,
arrived. Thompson, who had been cycling by when the aircraft crashed,
escorted one of the Germans to the Dock Gatehouse to be kept in custody
until the military authorities arrived. Men from the Local Defence Volunteer
(LDV) units of Unilever and Fawcett Preston arrived to control the growing
crowds.
The two men who had scrambled from the cockpit were the pilot
Oberleutnant H. Bruckmann, a tall fair haired man, and Unteroffizier H. Weth
the wireless operator/gunner. The man on the ground was Sonderfuhrer H.
Lehmann. Lehmann had been in the ventral gondola under the cockpit acting
as rear gunner. He had detached the gondola from the aircraft at a height of
about 3 feet just before the aircraft crash-landed. He had suffered bullet
wounds and broken legs. Gill and Rand made a makeshift splint using a
shunter’s pole for Lehmann’s legs. Weth, who had suffered a slight injury, and
Lehmann were taken under guard by ambulance to Clatterbridge hospital for
treatment. Leutnant Schlegel was later buried with full military honours in
Hooton Village Church. In 1962 his body was transferred to the German
military cemetery at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.
Eventually, Harry Gill was able to look around the Ju88. He found maps of
Merseyside, which clearly detailed buildings and storage tanks in the Port
Sunlight factory and Bromborough Dock.
 The Swastika from the starboard fin, being put on
show at Speke Airport shortly after the incident.

SPOILS OF VICTORY
The victorious Hurricane pilots landed back at Speke, completing what would
possibly be the fastest shooting down of an enemy aircraft: about 12 minutes
from take off to touch down. The pilots received a hearty reception when they
landed, and were carried shoulder-high by their comrades. A large number of
station personnel and local civilians witnessed the event, including those on a
local bus going past the airport. So great was the interest that the airport
gates had to be closed the following day when crowds of local civilians
arrived, wanting to congratulate the pilots. No.312 (Czech) Squadron had only
become operational in late September 1940, and this was their first action.
As soon as he landed, Flight Lieutenant Gillam got into his car and drove
through the Mersey Tunnel to the scene of the crash. There, he cut a badge
off the side of the aircraft, together with the Swastika on the starboard side of
the fin for a souvenir. On his return to Speke, it was hung in the hut at the
squadron dispersal. After the war, Gillam presented the panel with the
Swastika to RAF Finningley. Sadly, following the closure of Finningley in 1996,
the panel is now missing. It has been reported that a paddle from the dinghy,
which had a plaque mounted on it and a painting entitled ‘The Fastest Victory’
painted by Robert Taylor and signed by Flight Lieutenant Gillam, was seen for
sale on eBay circa 2006.
Military personnel inspecting the wreckage shortly after the Ju88 crashed.

George Knut from Willaston, an RAF armourer based at Hooton Park, was
despatched to look after the armament and took the machine guns back to
Hooton Park. On examination, the aircraft was found to have fifty .303 bullet
strikes in it. The bombsight was of great interest to the RAF as it was a new
type and the first to fall into their hands.
The aircraft was removed three days later, and the Commander of the
Merseyside Garrison said that it was to be put on public view in connection
with ‘War Weapons Week’ in Liverpool the following week. In the meantime,
it was moved to the Oval Recreation Ground in nearby Bebington where it
was put on display to the public. More than £70 was collected for the Mayor
of Bebington’s ‘Spitfire Fund’. On 18th October 1940, the Ju88 was paraded
through the streets of Liverpool and then displayed at St George's Plateau
alongside a Messerschmitt Bf.109.
Mrs Anstead-Browne, a member of the WVS (Women’s Voluntary Service) and
organizer of the Neston Spitfire Fund, secured the use of the Ju88 to help
raise money for their Spitfire Fund. The Ju88 was transported on two low
loaders to Parkgate where it was placed on view in a field off Bevyl Road,
which adjoined the Parade. A charge of 6d for an adult and 3d for children
was made to view the aircraft. It caused great interest with the locals and
attracted crowds. The bomber remained there until the 24th November when
it was taken to RAF Sealand and disposed of.
Arthur Draper, who was eight years old at the time, remembers the Ju88
arriving on low loaders, the fuselage on one, and the wings on the other. They
were placed together so that it looked as though it had just belly-landed.
 The wreckage seen from behind. Note the bomb in the foreground which had fallen off,
whilst near the wing, the port engine that had been ripped off its mounting can be seen.

“I took a bit of the tail fin, which was lying on the ground. It was dark green
and smelled like rotten cheese. I put it in our shed but my dad made me
throw it away as it had such a terrible smell.”

Quite a number of those who saw the aircraft thought it had come down at
Parkgate. Local boys were very keen to collect souvenirs, and so the Little
Neston Company of the Home Guard guarded the aircraft at night.

Eddie Scott remembers:

“The Little Neston company of the Home Guard was charged with the
responsibility of protecting it from the depredations of souvenir-hunters.
Half-dozen of us detailed for the task made our way to the rendezvous, an
empty house behind what is now the Parkgate Hotel and mounted a
patrolling guard in pairs for the standard two hours on and four off. I
remember the four off particularly for the hardness of the bare floor and the
inadequacy of the single blanket, and the two on for the inky blackness of
the night”.
Maurice Jones went to see the aircraft:

“There were plenty of people there and it poured with rain. It was a very
miserable day. Corrugated sheets had been put on the ground round the
plane, as it was so wet. A wing had come off the plane but was laid out as it
should have been. There was a long line of people waiting to go in, and you
went in through the door the crew had used. It was the first German object
of war I had ever seen. I went in and sat in the pilot’s seat and I can
remember a lady saying ‘they needed terribly long legs to reach the pedals’.”

In 1990, the late Dougie Darroch, local aviation historian and founder of the
Warplane Wreck Museum at Fort Perch, New Brighton, succeeded in tracing
the pilot, Helmuth Bruckmann, to his home in Munich. Dougie was hoping to
get Bruckmann to return to the scene of the incident on its 50th anniversary.
Unfortunately, Bruckmann was involved with the celebration of the
reunification of Germany and was therefore unable to. However on Friday 1st
November 1991, following arrangements made by BBC Radio Merseyside
presenter Monty Lister and Dougie Darroch, Helmuth Bruckmann took off
from the playing fields of Wirral Grammar School in a Jet Ranger helicopter
(G-BAKS) and landed at the crash site just over 51 years since he had crash-
landed there. The Mayor & Mayoress of Wirral (Councillor and Mrs Gordon
Paterson), eyewitnesses to the original action, and the press, were there to
greet him. They were joined by John Petric from Lubrizol, who now owned
the land on which the Ju88 had crashed. This was followed by a reception at
Bebington Civic Centre at which Bruckmann was presented with, among other
things, a painting of the dramatic events by renowned local aviation artist
Malcolm Kinnear, and a mounted piece of the Ju88 from Dougie Darroch’s
collection at Fort Perch Rock.

Bruckmann had hoped to meet Denys Gillam, but Gillam had unfortunately
died of a heart attack only a few weeks earlier. Later, Bruckmann visited the
military cemetery at Cannock Chase where Herbert Schegel had been
reinterred. Following this, there was a trip to Ambleside in the Lake District
where he had been held as a prisoner of war before being sent to Canada for
the duration of the conflict.
 Malcolm Kinnear’s painting

REPORTS & WITNESS STATEMENTS

Speke intelligence officer, Pilot Officer Phillips reports from the three pilots

“Yellow section had just received the order to patrol Hoylake and were still
near the aerodrome at a height of 1,000 feet, when a Ju88 was sighted by
anti aircraft positions up river, the bursts attracting the attention of yellow 3
which sighted the Ju88 flying slowly westwards at 1,200 feet. The Ju88 then
in turn sighted our formation and climbed sharply trying to gain cloud cover.
Shortly before entering, the Ju88 received a burst from Yellow 3 which was
followed by continual attacks from Yellow 1 (continuous astern attacks),
Yellow 2 and 3 which weaved in and out attacking from below and above
principally from the rear on account of bad visibility. The Ju88 received
bursts from Yellow 1 and 3 while still climbing through cloud and started
gliding downwards. Yellow 2 and 3 doing quarter attacks.
 “By this time, both of the Ju88's engines were on fire and it was seen by
yellow 2 and a large number of ground observers to fall flat down on a
meadow on the left bank of the Mersey. During combat, heavy and accurate
return fire was experienced from the Ju88 up to the last moment before the
crash. Slight damage was sustained by all our aircraft, a bullet hitting the
windscreen of Yellow 1, another the exhaust manifolds of Yellow 2, while
Yellow 3 sustained damage to the petrol tank and the gun pipe line (He
states in his individual report he returned thinking all his ammunition had
gone). Cine guns were not carried. Anti Aircraft fire was ceased immediately
our fighters came into action.”

The damage to Yellow 1 windshield

Denys Gillam’s memoirs

“We were scrambled on 8th October in poor visibility. With our wheels still
down, we spotted this Ju88 being engaged by AA fire. My two wingmen
began to chase it as I pulled up into a climbing turn. As my two Czechs
engaged him I rolled or rather slid off the top of the climb right under it, the
Ju88 was only at 1,000 feet. When I had enough power I pulled up and got a
very close shot and it went down and crash landed with both engines on fire
on the other side of the Mersey, about half a mile or so from the airfield. I
continued round, lowered my wheels and put back down on the runway. It
must have been one of the fastest Fighter Command kills on record. I had a
bullet hit my windscreen; in fact the German gunner scored hits on all three
Hurricanes.
 “Taking my car, I drove through the Mersey Tunnel to the scene of the crash
just as the crew was being rounded up. The pilot was dead but the others
had survived although the gunner and wireless operator had been injured. I
cut the German badge off the side of the aeroplane together with one of the
swastikas for souvenirs, then returned to Speke”.

Harry Gill, gateman at Bromborough Dock

“The air raid siren had sounded, but in those days nobody paid much
attention to them. I was on duty at the South Gatehouse at Bromborough
dock, when a twin-engined aeroplane plunged out of the clouded sky and
crashed about 200 yards away on land reclaimed from the River Mersey. I
ran towards it and half way there I looked up and saw a swastika on the tail
fin. Two men were scrambling out of the cockpit and ran behind the
damaged wing. The two Germans who were tall and well built were bending
over a third airman lying at their feet. I sized them by the epaulettes of their
uniforms and demanded their guns, which they surrendered without
argument.

“Mr Rand and Thompson then appeared at my side. Mr Thompson took

charge of one of the Germans and escorted him to the Dock Gatehouse to be
kept in custody until the military authorities arrived. One of the crew was
found to be dead at the controls.

“Alongside the Ju88 was a fully inflated dinghy, and two unexploded bombs,
which had fallen from the aircraft as it bounced along the ground, were lying
near the smoking port engine.

Cockpit of the Ju88 The inflated dinghy being inspected. The open hatch where it
was stored in the fuselage can be seen just above and to the
left of the white painted cross.
 “At that stage of the war, a military unit was stationed near the dock and
they mounted a guard over the aircraft until it was removed by the RAF. The
RAF were very concerned with the bombsight as it was a new type and was
the first to fall in our hands. They carefully dismantled it and brought it to
the Gatehouse where my colleagues and I kept it under guard until it was
taken away. That evening we were visited by the three pilots who shot the
Ju88 down, having been the first to approach the Ju88, it seemed a fitting
conclusion to an exiting day when I shook hands with the victors”.

Frank “Doc” Holmes

“On 8th October 1940 I was standing on my doorstep at 30 Ashfield Road

when the sirens sounded. In the air above us was a German Ju88 with three
of our fighters chasing it and it was firing back at them. The fighters were
Hurricanes. The Ju88 veered and nearly hit Bromborough church steeple,
but the fighters got the better of it and shot it down near Bromborough
Dock. I had a good idea where it crashed, so I picked up my eldest boy Barry,
aged 6 years, put him on the crossbar of my bicycle, and made my way to
where the Ju88 had come down.

“When we arrived the crew had been removed from the plane. The pilot,
only a very young man, had been killed and the co pilot was wounded. The
machine gunner was not to badly hurt. They were all taken to Clatterbridge
Hospital. It was a sad sight to see, but that is war.

“An RAF pilot arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after the Ju88 was shot
down. He had come all the way from Speke Airport where he had left his
Hurricane. He was also a very young man. He cut the German badge off the
side of the Ju88, also one of the Swastikas, got back in his car and left for
Speke and home. Of course, the Army were called in to guard the Ju88 and
surround it with ropes and posts.

“There was a bunch of keys lying on the ground near the plane, which I
picked up and gave to one of the soldiers on guard and while doing so had a
quick look inside. I was sorry I did because it was not a petty site at all. I did
notice that in the glove compartment of the Ju88 there was a bar of
Cadbury’s Chocolate and a pack of Churchman’s cigarettes which must have
come from the Dunkirk campaign”.
There are a couple interesting anomalies in Holmes’ report, most noticeably
that he confused the pilot with the observer/second pilot who was killed.
Also, if the hurricane pilot had arrived ‘15 minutes after’ the Ju88 had been
shot down, his car must have done a bit of low flying as, even today, this
journey would take around 45 minutes to an hour.

Ron Wright of Eastham

“It was an amazing experience. I was on my way home from school to where
I lived in the ICI houses at Pool Woods, just behind the trees. I saw the
aircraft flashing past the houses at almost rooftop level and I thought it was
going to crash on them. You could hear the rat-a-tat from the three
Hurricanes guns. The Hurricanes forced the German bomber down in
Bromborough Dock.
“A handful of us young kids rushed up to the wrecked plane, way ahead of
the security services. There were three crew, I think. Two were out of the
plane in a daze, but the third was dying. He was asking for a cigarette and a
factory worker, who'd arrived by now, gave him one, but one of his mates
kicked it away. At the same time, the Hurricanes were doing victory-rolls
overhead. I was gobsmacked by it all’

Dennis Housley, who lived in Magazine Village at the time

Dennis was one of three 12 & 13 year old boys who had a half-day off from
school and werr out on the Mersey in a small rowing boat. He remembers that
the weather was overcast with a slight mist in the air and that he was in the
Eastham Channel with Alan Gratrix and Ronnie Hill. They heard explosions
from the direction of Speke, but couldn’t see anything at that time, so thought
they had better go home. Just then, Frank Rogers, the Gunpowder Magazines
Foreman, started waving frantically from the beach at the end of Magazine
Village. As the noise grew louder, the boys beached their boat. Frank urged
them towards the small cliff on the beach and told them to keep flat against
the cliff. He said, “it’s a dogfight”, and there was a Ju88 being fired on by
Hurricanes. Pieces were flying off the German aircraft and were dropping into
the mud on the shore, and smoke was pouring out of the engines.

The aircraft had gone over the dock wall, and disappeared within seconds.
Dennis said, “She’s down on the dock” Frank looked concerned, and replied,
“I’ll get my gun”, and went off to get it. The Ju88 had just scraped over the
Representation of the crash by the son of Dennis Housley.

dock wall by about 6 feet. Running towards the aircraft, Dennis watched as
one of the Hurricanes did a climbing ‘Victory Roll’ over the scene.
The aircraft had gone over the dock wall, and disappeared within seconds.
Dennis said, “She’s down on the dock”. Frank looked concerned, and replied,
“I’ll get my gun”, and went off to get it. Running towards the aircraft, Dennis
watched as one of the Hurricanes did a climbing ‘Victory Roll’ over the scene.
After a short time, a Local Defence Volunteer (LDV) arrived on the scene and
tried to keep the crowd back with a gun. He was told in no uncertain terms to
“point the gun at the bloody Jerry’s”. Dennis liberated the wingtip and made
off with it, including the landing light, the bulb of which had marked on it:
‘OSRAM. Made in England’. His father later managed to speak to a member of
the RAF team who said that it was okay for Dennis to keep it. Dennis’s friend
Ronnie made off with a forage cap from one of the crew. The wingtip was
given away in various pieces over the following years. At Woodslee School
the next day Dennis and his two friends had to stand up in front of the school
and re-tell what they saw.
In 1991, during Helmuth Bruckmann’s visit, Dennis went along to meet him,
and appeared on BBC TV’s ‘Look North’ piece on the incident.

Birkenhead News, 12th October 1940

The Birkenhead News reported the incident on 9th October with just a few
lines.

In the 12th October issue, it reported the incident more fully with a picture of
the Ju88 with the headline ‘One Less To Come Again!’ This time, the paper
printed what it claimed to be comments from a ‘Captured Nazi airman about
nineteen year old’. How the reporter obtained the comments is a mystery;
one can only assume that the “Nazi” was Bruckmann although he was 26
years old. The writer commented that ‘the Nazi spoke excellent English, which
he said he learnt at school and that this had been his fifth visit to the area’.

The newspaper went on to say that the pilot had commented on how, in spite
of Dr. Goebbels efforts, the Germans were beginning to doubt the number of
British air losses. He was convinced that Germany was invincible, for he had
been told that London had been razed to the ground and it would only be a
short time before England was beaten. What he could not understand was
why people here seemed so content and why, although there had just been
an air raid they were going cheerfully about normal tasks. Regarding
starvation in Germany, he said ‘that there were good stocks of wheat and
tomatoes, but the rationing of other articles - particularly meat and butter
- is very stringent’. An interesting comment to have made. He
went on to comment that ‘German airmen were
repeatedly told that if they came down over
England they would not be taken
prisoner’. He said with a cheerful
grin “But we have no complaint to
make about your hospitality so far”.
The paper went on to discuss the about
fliers’ flying boots with leather soles,
but the uppers of canvas lined with
wool.

A local newspaper report of the

th
incident, 9 October 1940
THE GERMAN AIRCRAFT
Typical Ju88

The Ju88 type had made its

maiden flight in 1936.
Designed as a high-speed
bomber, it also served as a
long-range reconnaissance
aircraft, and some were
equipped for close air
support with one 75mm
cannon and two 37mm cannons. It was also used as a night-fighter, with
onboard radar. At the end of the war, some Ju88s were even converted into
radio-controlled flying bombs. Eventually, some 14,780 Ju88s were produced.

The Bromborough Junkers was a Ju88A-1 built by Norddeutsche Dornier

Werke under license from Junkers, and was accepted in May 1940. Its Werke
Nummer (Work Number) was 4068. Junkers had built the port engine, and
Mitteldeutsche Motorem Werke of Leipzig built the starboard engine.

The aircraft carried the code ‘M7+DK’ were the ‘M7’ indicated that it was part
of Kampfgruppe KGr806. The ‘K’ indicated the Staffle (squadron) within the
group, in this case No.2 Staffel, and the ‘D’ indicated the individual aircraft
within the Staffel. There was a crest painted on the nose, which depicted a
German eagle in flight carrying an Iron Cross with a small Swastika
superimposed on red, white and blue concentric circles, the inner ring was
partly green and partly white, this was probably the crews own badge. Part of
this badge can be seen at Doug Darroch’s
Warplane Wreck Investigation Group
Museum in Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton.
 Data plates from
the Bromborough
Ju88

Ju.88 Specification
Crew 3
Engines Liquid cooled, 12 cylinder inverted-Vee, Junkers Jumo 211J of
1,340 hp each.
Max speed 269 mph (433 kph) with normal operational load
Ceiling 29,000 ft (8,840 m)
Range 620 miles (1,000 km)
Weights Empty 20,020 lbs (9,081 kg); Loaded 32,385 lbs (14,690 kg)
Wingspan 59 ft 10½ in (18.25 m)
Length 47 ft 2 in (14.4 m)
Height 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)
Bomb load 6,614 lbs (3,000 kg)
Armament 3 x 7.92mm machine guns, 1 firing forward, 1 upper rear, and 1
ventral gondola.
THE GERMAN SQUADRON & CREW
KGr806 was part of Generalfeldmarschall Hugo Sperrle’s Luftflotten III (Air
fleet 3), with this aircraft based at Caen-Carpignet in France. KGr806 was
formed in September 1939, originally as a coastal bomber reconnaissance
unit. It was absorbed into the Luftflotte 3 as an orthodox bomber group,
retaining its nucleus of naval officers. Based at Nantes with a detachment at
Caen, it was originally equipped with Heinkel He111s, then re-equipped with
Ju88A-1s before and during the Battle of Britain. KGr806 later saw
operational service on the Eastern Front and the Mediterranean.

Oberleutnant (RAF rank Flying Officer) Helmuth Bruckmann

Helmuth Bruckmann, the pilot was born Hamburg in
1914. He graduated from school in Emden in 1934
and enlisted in the German Navy the same year,
commencing flying training in 1936. He was
promoted to Oberleutnant in 1939 and was made
Commanding Officer of a coastal reconnaissance
squadron, and subsequently Director of a pilot
training school.

Early in WWII he became deputy Squadron Leader

in a bomber wing, regularly flying He111 and Ju88
aircraft. The operation on 8th October was his 36th
operational missions and his 5th to Merseyside.
After a week’s interrogation at Cockfosters in London, Bruckmann was
transported to Grizdale Hall in the Lake District for 3 months before being
moved to Glasgow to board the ‘Duchess of York’ to sail to Canada to see out
the rest of the war.
After the war he joined the Luftwaffe general staff and was promoted to
Major. On leaving the Luftwaffe, Bruckmann studied languages and literature
at university from 1946 to 1958 and became director of the Goethe Institute
in Munich. He rejoined the Luftwaffe and, in 1959, became a Lt. Colonel in
the Ministry of Defence at Bonn. After a period as Commander of a cadet-
training wing in the Luftwaffe Officers Training School in Munich, he was
promoted to full Colonel in 1961 and transferred to the German Embassy in
Washington D.C. USA as air attaché. After an
additional assignment as the German Military
representative with the NATO committee, he
returned to Germany as head of the Military Studies
Group in the German Ministry of Defence. He
retired in 1973.

Bruckmann in November 1991

Leutnant (RAF rank Pilot Officer) Herbert Schlegel

Herbert Schlegel the aircrafts
observer/second pilot aged 24, was
killed by a bullet wound to the head,
and was originally buried at Hooton
Village Churchyard. His body was
moved in 1962 to the German military
cemetery at Cannock, Staffordshire,
block No.3, grave No.117.

Unteroffizier (RAF rank Corporal) Helmuth Weth

Helmuth Weth was the 26 year-old wireless operator/gunner.

Sonderfuhrer Horst Lehmann

Horst Lehmann was 37 years old. In English, Sonderfuhrer translates to
Specialist Leader. They had special linguistic or technical skills, but lacked the
necessary military training. They wore standard military uniforms, and had
officer rank without a commission. They only had authority within the area
covered by their specialist skills. Lehmann was a "Bildberichter" (Photographic
War Correspondent) from Luftwaffe’s No.2 Propaganda Company, onboard to
photograph the outcome of the raid. Lehmann recovered sufficiently from his
injuries to be able to be repatriated, on crutches, in 1943.
No.312 (CZECH) SQUADRON &
PILOTS
No.312 (Czech) Squadron came into being as
the second Czechoslovak fighter unit. It was
formed on 29th August 1940 as part of No.9
Group Fighter Command. The squadron was
based around experienced pilots, who had
already had combat experience during the
Battle of France, and many of who had more
then one victory. On the 6th September 1940,
the pilots began preparation for flying
Hurricanes at RAF Duxford.

On 26th September the squadron moved to its new home at Speke airport.
There, the unit completed its training in last days of September. On 2nd
October 1940, the squadron was declared operational with the task of
protecting the Merseyside area from enemy raids. The squadron’s motto was
‘Non multi sed multa’ - 'Not many but much' and the squadron badge was a
stork Volant. The stork in the badge relates to the French 'Escadrille des
Cygelines' with whom the original pilots of No 312 (Czech) squadron had
flown.

Two days after their first victory in downing the Bromborough Ju88, 29 year
old Sergeant Otto Hanzlicek took off from Speke along with Pilot Officer
Dvorak to practice ‘dog fights’. At 2:15pm, the engine of Hanzlicek’s
Hurricane caught fire and he was forced to abandon the aircraft near the
Oglett. He bailed out, and the wind took him out over the River Mersey,
where he fell into the river, some 300-400 yards from the riverbank, and was
drowned. The aircraft came down in the river off the end of runway 08 at
Speke. Hanzlicek’s body was found up river, 5 miles to the east at Widnes on
1st November.

The squadron eventually left Speke for RAF Valley on Anglesey on 3rd March
1941.
Flight Lieutenant Denys Edgar Gillam D.S.O. D.F.C. A.F.C.

Denys Edgar Gillam was born in Tyneside in 1915. He obtained his flying
licence in 1934 and joined the RAF the following year. In June 1938, Denys
received the A.F.C. for flying food to the people of Rathlin Island in very
hazardous conditions. During the Battle of Britain he served with No.616
Squadron very successfully with seven kills. At the end of the Battle he was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and was posted to Duxford to
assist in the forming of No.312 (Czech) Squadron.
In July 1941, he was given command
of No.615 (Surrey) Squadron and
awarded a Bar to the D.F.C. in
October 1941. The following month,
Denys was shot down by flak and
picked up by Air Sea Rescue Launch
off Dunkirk. In December he was
awarded the Distinguished Service
Order (DSO). March 1942, saw him
forming the first Typhoon Wing at
Duxford and subsequently taking
command of 20 Sector 2nd Tactical Air
Force (TAF) in April 1944. In August
1944 Denys was awarded the Bar to
his DSO and in October of that year
he led an attack on the German Staff
Conference at Dordrecht, which killed
Flt. Lt. Denys Edgar Gillam many of the senior staff of the 15th
Army.
Denys was awarded the second bar to his DSO in January 1945 and left the
RAF later that year as a Group Captain. He joined No.616 (South Yorkshire)
Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force as a Flight Lieutenant when they reformed
at RAF Finingley in 1947. He finally left in 1950 to join the family carpet
business Homfray Carpets in Halifax were he became Chairman. He went on
to be Deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and retired to become a
gentleman farmer in his beloved Yorkshire. He died suddenly of a heart attack
in 1991.
Pilot Officer Alois Vasatko

Alois Vasatko was born on 25th August

1908 in Celakovice. Having been a
teacher he started military service,
which he finished in spring 1929, and
eventually moved to the Army
Academy. After qualifying as a
Lieutenant of Artillery he was posted to
the 54th Artillery Regiment in Bratislava.
In October 1935 he was promoted to
the rank of 1st Lieutenant and qualified
as an Air Observer. Between 1937 &
1938 he trained as a pilot becaming
operational on 1st March 1939.

After the Germans occupied Pilot Officer Alois Vasatko

Czechoslovakia, Vasatko with a group of
friends crossed into Poland on 13th July 1939. From there he moved to France.
When WWII began, ‘Amos’ (nickname of Vasatko) was posted on 11th
September 1939 to fighter school at Chartres, training on Curtiss Hawk 75
aircraft, and on 11th May 1940 joined the famous Grouppe de Chasse I/5. On
17th May he had his first successful air battle when he shared the shooting
down of a Bf109 and took part in the shooting down of a Henschel Hs126.
After this he was appointed as a flight commander, and on 12th June 1940 he
took part in the destroying of twelve enemy planes, three of which he shot
down alone. During a dogfight, in which he shot down a Heinkel He111, he
was slightly wounded and, on 9th and 15th June, he crash landed twice.
Vasatko became the most successful Czechoslovak fighter pilot in the battle of
France. At the end of June he flew together with his unit to North Africa and
on 5th August 1940 he arrived at Cardiff onboard the ‘David Livingstone’.

He moved via the Czech camp at Cholmodeley Park to the Czech depot at
Cosford where he joined the RAFVR with the rank of Pilot Officer. On 5th
September he was posted to the newly created No.312 (Czech) Fighter
Squadron as part of the first group of pilots. On 12th December 1940 he was
made the flight commander of ‘B’ Flight and, on 5th June 1941, became its
Commanding Officer. No.312 was part of the Kenley Wing, and took part in
the first offensive flights over occupied France, during which - on the 9th July -
Vasatko probably shot down a Bf109 and damaged another.

In the spring of 1942 he helped with the organisation of the Czechoslovak

Fighter Wing, which consisted of No's 310, 312 and 313 Squadron’s. During an
escort of Boston’s over Cherbourg on 3rd June he probably shot down an
Fw190. Then came the fatal day, of 23rd June 1942 when the Czech Wing
escorted Boston’s on a raid against an airfield in Morlaix. During their return
near the coast of England, No.312 was attacked by a group of six Fw190 from
above. Vasatko tried to manoeuvre to a better position for the fight but his
Spitfire collided with an attacking aircraft. Both planes then crashed into sea.

Alois Vasatko had been awarded many Czechoslovak and Allied orders and
medals. The Czechoslovak Order of the White Lion, the Czechoslovak War
Cross 1939, French Legion d’honneur – Chevalier, French War Cross and the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) which he obtained on the day of his death.
On 7th March 1992, the President of Czechoslovak republic ordered Alois
Vasatko to be promoted to the rank of Major General in memoriam.

Sergeant Josef Stehlik

Josef Stehlik was born on 23rd March

1915, in Pikarec Czechoslovakia. He
started pilot training at the Elementary
Pilot School in Prague in 1936. He
served as pilot and instructor with No.3
Air Regiment where was promoted to
Sergeant. After the German occupation
of Czechoslovakia he crossed into
Poland on 5th June 1939 and then onto
France.

After arriving in France, he joined the

Foreign Legion at the end of August
1939. When WWII began, he was
transferred to Chartres for retraining.
On 1st December 1939, he was posted to
Sergeant Josef Stehlik
Groupe de Chasse III/3 and took part in the air battle of France. During this
time, Stehlik shot down four enemy aircraft and shared in the shooting down
of four more. As the Germans advanced he flew to Africa and then sailed
from Casablanca to England. On 5th September 1940, as Sergeant, he joined
the newly formed No.312 (Czech) Squadron at Duxford.

After the squadron victory on 8th October he claimed a probable Bf109 shot
down and another damaged plus another Ju88 shared. He left operational
duty in October 1941, and became an instructor training pilots at Hullavington
and then in Canada. In April 1943 he returned to No.312 Squadron where he
flew many operations over occupied Europe. In January 1944 he moved to
the Soviet Union together with a group of 20 Czech pilots. After training on
Soviet La-5 fighters, he was posted in September 1944 to Slovakia as
commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment. He added to his score
one Ju88 and a share of a Ju87, and destroyed two more aircraft on the
ground, five trucks, a locomotive, and three other vehicles. Following this he
was then involved with the forming of 1st Czechoslovak Air Division where he
was promoted to second in command of the 2nd Fighter Regiment. He was
awarded the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939, Czechoslovak Medal for Bravery,
and the French War Cross.

In post-war life, Captain Stehlik took part in the creating of the new
Czechoslovak Air Force. At first he was the commander of a retraining course
on Bf109G aircraft and at the end of 1945 the commander of a course of
instructors for the Army Air Academy.

In 1948, on being discharged from the army, he was arrested for an

unspecified reason that was never explained. However, with no evidence
produced against him, he was acquitted and released a year later. In 1964 he
was finally rehabilitated and got back his rank, and subsequently returned to
the army. He eventually retired as a Colonel in the Air Force, and died
suddenly on 30th May 1991.
No.312 SQUADRON AIRCRAFT
Yellow 1, flown by Flight Lieutenant Gillam, was a Hawker Hurricane Mk.I
serial number P2575 coded DU-P. During the engagement on 8th October,
Gillam fired 2,400 rounds, and his aircraft’s windscreen was damaged by
return fire from the Ju88. Later, this aircraft was flown by various training
units and was eventually struck off charge on 23rd May 1944.

Yellow 1 in the background & Yellow 2 in the foreground

Yellow 2, flown by Pilot Officer Vasatko, was a Hawker Hurricane Mk.I serial
number L1926 coded DU-J. During the engagement on 8th October 1940,
Vasatko fired 144 rounds. The aircraft’s exhaust manifold was damaged by
return fire from the Ju88. Later, this aircraft was transferred to No.55
Operation Training Unit (OTU) and crashed on landing at Usworth on 15th April
1941.

Yellow 3, flown by Sergeant Stehlik, was a Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 serial

number L1807. During the engagement on 8th October, Stehlik fired 504
rounds and his aircraft’s fuel tank was damaged by return fire from the Ju88.
Later, this aircraft also went to No.55 Operation Training Unit (OTU) and
crashed on 8th March 1941 at Usworth.
“Dedicated to the men and women from the Wirral who
served their country in the air during World War Two and,
in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Colin Schroeder

Email: colinschroeder@hotmail.com